Sir – Russian tit-for-tat sanctions of Western agricultural products pose a very real threat to our economy and jobs. Farmers and food producers throughout Europe are furious at the EU’s rash decision to impose sanctions on Russia.

To have done so without fully anticipating the consequences is unbelievable. It doesn’t take a genius to realise the Russians would retaliate. They are after all a world power and a proud nation.

To impose sanctions just as the EU is beginning to emerge from a severe recession beggars belief. Russia’s counter-sanctions will almost certainly plunge the EU back into recession. Even the mighty German economy is under threat, as is Britain’s. There could also be power cuts this winter if gas supplies from Russia are interrupted.

The EU is trying to prevent South American countries from selling meat, fish and other banned products to the Russians – fat chance of success!

Brazil, Chile and Argentina see the ban as a golden opportunity to expand trade with Russia and develop long-term trade agreements at the expense of the EU – once lost, exports to Russia will be difficult to win back.

Encouraging the Ukraine to eventually join the EU was a step too far for the Russians – it could lead to an expansion of military conflict unless common sense prevails and politicians and the media in the West stop demonising Putin and blaming Russia for the conflict in the Ukraine.

Bryan D Prescott

Bronrhiw Fach, Caerphilly

Thanks for digging deep to aid victims

sir – Disasters Emergency Committee Cymru (DEC) Gaza Crisis Appeal would like to thank The National Eisteddfod for its support during the Gaza Crisis Appeal.

In support of the DEC Gaza Crisis Appeal, bucket collections were held at the main entrances of the National Eisteddfod in Carmarthenshire last Friday. Within hours the general public had given generously and £1,500 was raised.

Every pound will make a difference with £50 enough to feed five families for a day and £100 providing an emergency shelter kit and blankets for one family.

The appeal was launched on Thursday and in Wales alone we have raised a total of £150,000. The people of Wales have proved yet again that they have generous hearts.

There are now 65,000 people in Gaza who have seen their homes severely damaged or destroyed.

Over half a million people have been forced from their homes, and one-and-a-half million people have no or very limited access to water or sanitation. Many people are living in terribly overcrowded UN shelters, but they still need food and basic household items which we take for granted. Many are in urgent need of medical care, but hospital supplies are almost finished.

The generosity of the public will allow the DEC’s member agencies to continue to accelerate the huge humanitarian relief effort required in Gaza reaching hundreds of thousands of people in desperate need of clean water, food, shelter, medical treatment and psychological support.

With the scale of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, our member agencies urgently need more money to scale up their life-saving work.

To donate to the DEC Gaza Crisis Appeal visit http://www.dec.org.uk

Kirsty Davies

DEC Cymru Chair

Labour just crying crocodile tears

sir – I am most amused to see Labour councillors who voted for cuts to public services now crying crocodile tears over the fact that they chose to adhere to the dictates of the capitalist neo-liberalist austerity programme enacted with such callous viciousness by the Con/Dem government.

Remember it was the Labour Party who bailed out the bankers/financial institutions with trillions of public money.

Now we are told to embrace austerity (mass unemployment, low wages, food banks and cuts to welfare and public services etc)while the mega rich global 0.001 per cent make vast profits by exploiting us. (Transnational companies are sitting on at least £318bn of cash.)

Meanwhile Labour councillors wail and cry “Oh what can we do, what can we do?”

We can’t rely on elected representatives to fight against the cuts. That’s up to us and a starting point to see what can be achieved is a pamphlet by Hilary Wainwright, The Tragedy Of The Private, The Potential of the Public”.

Austerity and privatisations can be reversed.

Terry Banfield (Member:Afed/IWW)

Cardigan Crescent, Croesyceiliog

Cwmbran, Gwent

Individuals can help stop energy crisis

Sir – Global warming or climate change is a natural process which can be influenced by such things as volcanic eruptions and sun cycles, but the activities of man are worsening this process, speeding up the effects of the weather’s elements and thereby making events of flooding worse. So in reply to G Davies “Inefficient use of energy” (Letters, August 13), I hope my comments will enlighten him.

The system in this country of generation, distribution and consumption of energy is largely inefficient. Instead of the huge power stations supplying power to homes and businesses what we should have is a system decentralised to the individual in the community, workplace and home.

If this sounds familiar, David Cameron said as much when becoming Prime Minister. He said individuals should be made responsible for this with use of solar panels and the like at home and in the workplace.

Trouble is he has forgotten all that he said and is well and truly in the pockets of the Big 6 of power generators whose prices and profits seem to be forever going up.

I am not suggesting that the greater use of solar panels and other forms of renewable energy will meet the energy needs of people and business but it would allow people to cut down on their electricity bills and some to actually sell their electricity to the National Grid.

Take for instance the town of Worthing in Sussex where solar panels on top of each street lamp-post provide the energy to light the lamp during the hours of darkness.

Overall the town adopted other energy efficient schemes and made a saving of some 70% in electricity consumption.

So why is it that this is not being done throughout Wales and the rest of Britain? Why is there not a national programme to get solar panels installed on every roof of every house and workplace in the country? Think of the jobs that would be created if such a scheme was adopted.

We are miles behind the likes of the Netherlands, Denmark and Germany where, on average, a substantial proportion of their energy is produced through renewable sources – known as Smart Energy or De-centralised Energy (DE).

In Wales, we have seen Powys local authority not being able to pay the electricity bill for their street lights plunging whole communities into darkness.

Another source of renewable energy is the biomass converter – people in one street or area put their food waste into a device which converts it into energy supplying local homes and businesses with hot water and lighting.

Things are not perfect G Davies, but think of the potential of schemes that should be utilised before thinking negatively.

Brian Thomas

Sunny Bank, Brecon Road Merthyr Tudful

Government must come clean over cuts

The Coalition needs to get its act together and come clean about the level of cuts facing local government; so far coalition cuts have resulted in a £13m cut in Caerphilly’s budget.

The Welsh government has indicated to local government it should prepare for a 4.5% reduction, (£30m for Caerphilly) but cannot confirm this figure as Westminster is failing to provide a clear indication on Welsh Assembly funding. As a member of the regeneration and scrutiny committee I am acutely aware of the task facing us. We are looking at all areas where savings can be made – a task made more difficult due to the uncertainty over the Assembly’s final settlement.

The Welsh Secretary must come clean on the cuts facing local government so we can make meaningful plans.

Councillor Nigel Dix

Montclaire Avenue

Blackwood

Netanyahu’s roles

SIR – Benyamin Netanyahu, who is now Prime Minister of Israel, was not defence minister (or anything connected to defence) in 1990, at the time when former First Minister Rhodri Morgan says he met him (Western Mail, August 9).

Samuel Lotkin

Hazel Court, Swansea

Blair is to blame

SIR – Etched across the terrified faces of those displaced children in northern Iraq is the shadow of Tony Blair who not only caused this madness, but his legacy has made us reluctant to help them.

To refer to this Walter Mitty-like character as a Peace Envoy is to belittle the lives of those thousands who suffered because of this one man’s illusion of his own invulnerability and superiority.

Of course many in this country should also hang their head in shame, for electing and supporting him!